Murwillumbah Betting Tips for August 21, 2026 - Till Dusk Can Shine Late

Alex Marsh

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Last updated: Wed 19 Aug 2026 18:26

Alex Marsh 1 hour ago

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Murwillumbah Cup meeting features eight races on August 21
Key bets: Till Dusk (R8), Rock Empire (R7), Referees (R5), Vandazee (R3)
Article recommends focusing on these picks for value and form in open fields

Rock Empire heads the market for the 2026 Murwillumbah Cup. (Getty)

Murwillumbah hosts its premier meeting of the year on Friday, with eight races set down for the August 21 program and the Murwillumbah Cup offering Big Dance eligibility.

Murwillumbah Tips August 21
CMT Equipment & Calibrations Class 2 Tips (Race 3)
Courthouse Hotel BM58 Showcase Handicap Tips (Race 5)
Coolabah Cooling Murwillumbah Cup Tips (Race 7)
Toka Love Ya DNT Class 1 Showcase Tips (Race 8)

The track is currently in the Soft 6 range, with the rail in the true position.

Looking for odds on the upcoming majors? The Group 1 Futures Markets detail all of the action, including the Winx Stakes and Memsie Stakes, which are both contested in August.

Murwillumbah Tips August 21

CMT Equipment & Calibrations Class 2 Tips (Race 3)

Murwillumbah Value Bet - Race 3 No. 5 Vandazee

With her sole win coming over five furlongs, the 1550m does look the main query for Vandazee, although the Liam Birchley-trained filly is bred to handle the trip through Group 1-winning sire Vanbrugh and Mastercraftsman on the dam side.

Connections thought enough of Vandazee to take her to New Zealand for a Karaka Millions tilt after her maiden victory, and she was certainly not disgraced in that feature when finishing midfield.

She was spelled before producing a good return at Ipswich, then stepped up to Listed level over 1500m at Eagle Farm on June 6, where she was set a difficult task after settling at the rear.

Following a freshen-up, little has gone her way in two subsequent runs, drawing wide in a late-season two-year-old handicap at Eagle Farm before dropping to Class 1 company at the Sunshine Coast on August 9 and performing well without favours in a slowly run race.

She gets more options from a low draw this time and, while taking on older opposition is never straightforward for an early-season three-year-old, this is not a strong race and Vandazee still has upside.

Courthouse Hotel BM58 Showcase Handicap Tips (Race 5)

Murwillumbah Favourite - Race 5 No. 3 Referees

Young apprentice Archie McColm is enjoying a productive winter, heading into Friday's Murwillumbah Cup meeting with 23 winners since the start of June.

The 2kg claimer has a fresh engagement aboard Referees for local trainer Peter Sinclair, with the son of Impending having shown excellent consistency throughout his first campaign over summer and early autumn.

After a good debut, he broke through at Grafton second-up and, while unable to salute in three subsequent March appearances, he could easily have won any of them.

Referees flashed home for second in the latest of those behind Xxtreme, who narrowly missed in stronger company at his next start before returning this winter with a runner-up finish in a Rosehill Highway last Saturday, giving the form a strong look.

He was also luckless in the two runs prior to that placing and, while seemingly not at his best on a Heavy 10 in a Ballina trial on August 11, it was still a solid hit-out without being knocked about ahead of this return.

Coolabah Cooling Murwillumbah Cup Tips (Race 7)

Murwillumbah Feature Bet - Race 7 No. 4 Rock Empire

Off quiet trial work and with 1200m expected to be on the sharp side, particularly from a wide draw, little was expected of Rock Empire when making his stable debut for Ciaron Maher at Rosehill on July 8.

That effort was excellent, however, with the six-year-old making good ground from the rear and producing the second-fastest closing sectionals of the race.

His second-up placement was unconventional as he stepped straight to a mile on July 25, but the son of Deep Field backed up that return with a brave victory in a BM88 after covering ground and doing plenty of work throughout.

Rock Empire looked beaten by Narbold late before lifting again to record career win number five, and with only 14 starts to his name he remains lightly raced despite having regularly carried bigger weights under the Waterhouse and Bott yard.

There should be further improvement to come third-up with a mile run under the belt and, in what does not look a vintage edition of the Murwillumbah Cup, the tough and progressive gelding appears very well placed.

Toka Love Ya DNT Class 1 Showcase Tips (Race 8)

Murwillumbah Best Bet - Race 8 No. 3 Till Dusk

Ryan Maloney has enjoyed a strong winter, striking at better than 20% since the start of June, and he has just two rides at Friday's Murwillumbah Cup meeting in Rock Empire and Till Dusk.

The mare makes her stable debut for Chris and Corey Munce, with connections clearly targeting a modest Country Class 1 after applying blinkers following a solid August 11 Doomben trial in a strong heat.

A Victorian maiden winner at start two before heading north, Till Dusk placed in all four of her first Queensland appearances without winning, with those summer and early-autumn runs coming at metropolitan and provincial level.

She was stretched to 1800m at her latest appearance on March 29 but was just as effective over shorter trips, including a runner-up finish behind Celestial Blaze in a Doomben Class 1, with that galloper subsequently winning at Eagle Farm on a Saturday.

Till Dusk has proven effective across different surfaces, including a Heavy-track victory in Victoria, and with little depth to the opposition here she may simply prove too classy in the finale.

Verdict

Murwillumbah - August 21

Our Murwillumbah tips for Friday, August 21 are:

Till Dusk

To Win

$1.90 - 4 Units

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Rock Empire

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Referees

To Win

$3.90 - 2 Units

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